The Royal Film Commission Jordan | Opportunities Bulletin #129 February

OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN # 129 – February 2014

N.B. The information below is provided directly by the organizers of events, festivals, audio-visual organizations or independent film projects. The Royal Film Commission - Jordan (RFC) cannot be held accountable for it.

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) has announced the call for submissions for the Festival’s SANAD grant.

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival’s next edition will take place October 23rd to November 1st, 2014.

SANAD is the Development and Post-Production Fund of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF). SANAD provides talented filmmakers from the Arab world with meaningful support from within the region towards the development or completion of their narrative and documentary feature-length films.

SANAD seeks out bold and remarkable projects from both new and established filmmakers with the aim of encouraging intercultural dialogue and artistic innovation while building stronger networks within the region’s film industry.

Each year, SANAD awards grants to Arab filmmakers in two categories: development funds of up to US$20,000 and post-production funds of up to US$60,000 per project.

Requirements:

The following general categories qualify to submit as Entrants:

Feature-length narratives in development

Feature-length documentaries in development

Feature-length narratives in post-production

Feature-length documentaries in post-production

The director and/or producer must be a national of one of the eligible countries listed below. A production company from at least one of the eligible countries must also be

attached to the Project. The Fund, acting in its sole and absolute discretion, reserves the right to consider Entrants or Projects from outside the list of eligible countries where a Project’s content is significantly related to or concerns Arab culture and/or heritage.

2. Call for entries: The 17th Edition of the Ismailia International Film Festival

The Ismailia International Film Festival for documentaries and short films has announced the call for entries for its 17th round, scheduled to run from June 3rd until June 8th 2013.

This year, the festival will also be hosting the second Coproduction Platform, the first forum in the Arab world to be entirely dedicated to documentaries. Through the platform, documentary filmmakers have a chance to meet specialists, sales representatives and funders, enabling them to bring their projects to the light.

The Ismailia International Film Festival is the first in the Arab world to specifically focus on documentaries and short films. It is organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.

The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is calling for short and feature length fiction or documentary films completed in 2013 and 2014 for its 35th edition from July 17th to July 27th.

The DIFF this year is to feature over 250 screenings of cutting-edge cinema from around the world, with a special focus on films from South Africa and Africa. It has a film competition component and also holds screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent.

Specific streams of programming for 2014 will include a focus on 20 years of democracy in South Africa, as well as films that explore architecture in various ways. DIFF 2014 will also offer extensive seminar and workshop programs, which will feature local and international filmmakers and industry professionals like the 7th Berlinale Talents Durban (July 18 to 22) and the 5th Durban Film Mart (July 18 to 21), in partnership with Durban Film Office.

Rules and regulations:

All submissions must be entered via the Eventival online system.

A DVD screener should also be sent before the deadline.

Films that are publicly available online in their complete form will not be considered for screening at the festival.

Unfinished works are accepted if they are submitted by the deadline, multiple edits of the same film will not be considered.

The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) is a competitive festival for and by independent filmmakers. The organizers of BFF bring 17 years of festival experience to this annual event.

BFF accepts submissions in six categories: Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Short Narrative, Short Documentary, Experimental, and Animation. Submissions are open from September to March, the final selection of 100+ films is announced in May, and the next BFF will take place from 30 May until 8 June, 2014.

Rules and regulations:

All films must be in English or with English subtitles.

BFF does not consider films that require screening/ rental fees.

Duration/Running Time:

Feature Narrative: No less than 60 minutes Short Narrative: Less than 60 minutes

Feature Documentary: No Less than 50 minutes Short Documentary: Less than 50 minutes Animation and Experimental: no limitations

Entries cannot have a theatrical run (commercial release) or be broadcast (TV) anywhere in the U.S.A. before June 8, 2014. Previous screenings at other film festivals, as well as private, industry, and press screenings are OK. The "New York Premiere" status is preferred, but not mandatory.

Projects submitted to the Festival must have been completed after June 1, 2012. Works-in-progress are considered only during the final submission deadline and if the film will be completed by May 9, 2014.

Films produced, financed, or initiated by a major motion picture studio are not eligible for the competition.

BFF 2014 Edition submissions deadlines are as follows:

Earlybird deadline: Postmarked by November 29, 2013

Regular deadline: Postmarked by February 21, 2014

Late deadline: Postmarked by March 7, 2014

WAB Extended deadline: Postmarked by March 14, 2014

Postmarked by = Submission packages can be mailed until the day of the deadline.

5. Call for submissions: The 4th Edition of the Middle East Alternative Sound & Arts Festival Seeking Film Submissions

The 4th edition of the Middle East Alternative Sound & Arts Festival (MEASAF) is taking place in the in the city of Athens from May 23 until May 25, 2014.

This year, MEASAF is extending the cultural exposure of the Middle East and is calling for short films that can present some of the significant cultural, social, environmental, economical & political issues and challenges facing the Middle Eastern society.

MEASAF is seeking short movie filmmakers who are willing to provide their work for display from the Middle East and specifically from Jordan being the honorary country of MEASAF 2014. The submission of films shall be voluntary from the filmmaker’s side, as the event will be a pure cultural

Together with the Federal Foundation for Culture and in cooperation with the Goethe Institute, the

Foreign Ministry and German producers, the World Cinema Fund (WCF) works to develop and support cinema in regions with a weak film infrastructure, while fostering cultural diversity in German cinemas.

The WCF supports films that could not be made without additional funding: films that stand out with an unconventional aesthetic approach, that tell powerful stories and transmit an authentic image of their cultural roots.

The WCF has an annual budget of approximately € 350,000 and supports exclusively the production and distribution of feature films and feature-length documentaries. The support is focused on the following regions: Latin America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caucasus.

Rules and regulations:

Eligible to apply for WCF funding are Production companies from both the WCF regions and In both cases, a requirement is that the director originates from one of the listed regions. This is a precondition for applications since the “voice” of a native director and his/her connection to the identity and reality of his/her homeland is essential for the WCF. The WCF regions are Africa, Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caucasus.

Eligible for funding are only production companies based in Germany. Producers from the WCF regions can also apply but must – if selected by the jury – provide proof of cooperation with a German partner. This can also take place after submission of the application or by the time the project is recommended for funding, following the jury’s decision.

Eligible for distribution funding are German national and international distributors who want to bring a full-length feature or documentary film from one of the WCF regions to German cinemas. WCF production funding of the film is not a pre-requirement.

Requirements:

Funding amounts and required documents:

Production Funding:

Funding amounts

Maximum funding: 80,000 EUR per project

The total production costs of the supported projects should lie between 200,000 EUR and 1,000,000 EUR

The funding must be spent on the production of the film in the aforementioned regions

Required documents

- Completed application form

Two-page synopsis

Script in English or French (in the case of documentary films, an in-depth treatment and a detailed outline of the visual concept suffice)

Director’s statement and a description of the director’s visual concept

The director’s CV

The writer’s CV

Profile/filmography of the production company/ies

Proof of rights ownership

Detailed budget in euros

A financial plan in euros and copies of co-production contracts if applicable

Rights clearance

The director’s previous films on DVD

Distribution Funding

Funding amount

Maximum funding: 10,000 EUR

Only German distributors may apply

Support is provided for the distribution of films from Latin America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caucasus

Required documents

Completed application form

Two-pages synopsis

Distribution Company Profile

Description of Distribution Strategy

Detailed Distribution Budget

Financing Plan and Recoupment Schedule

Financial Agreements and/or letters of intent from financing partners

Final Cut on DVD(in English or French or with English or French subtitles)

Deadline for production funding is February 27, 2014

Applications for distribution funding support can be submitted continually.